It’s all too easy to think of summer travel that could’ve been: that rafting trip planned with your crew, the yearly pilgrimage to Chicago’s Riot Fest, flying across the country to surf, the list goes on. Someday we’ll be there again, whining about overbooked flights and mishandled luggage along the way. Until then, we need to make the most of the end of summer and fall with the adventures reachable in a day’s drive. Because with limited ability to fly to someplace warmer, it could be a long winter ahead.
Once you’ve got the road trip planned, you’ll need to pack. This is where Nixon comes in with its new line of bags. And this isn’t just another collection for a new season—every piece in this line is made with REPREVE Our Ocean performance fibers.
On top of being extremely functional bags that we will one day tote through foreign cities and toss into pangas, this is the first full line to be made completely of this upcycled plastic bottle fabric, which is relatively new itself. And this is key: The material doesn’t come from a recycled-goods processing plant. These bottles are removed from ecosystems within 50 yards of the oceans in developing nations that don’t have proper recycling facilities. Essentially, each bag redirects about 20 bottles that would have wound up in waterways, choking the very ecosystem that we can’t wait to travel to and experience again in the first place.
In short, this is the kind of technology that can change manufacturing for the better.
First in the lineup is the most obvious pick, the Hauler, ideal for distance or your daily driver pack in 25 L ($100, pictured below) and 35 L ($130) options. The Hauler is all about access.
courtesy Nixon
Even the best of packs are limited with single access points, leaving you fishing down into the dark, past your rain shell and solar charger to find the sunblock. The Hauler has a 270-degree opening that allows you to see everything at once. (Or that the sunblock isn’t actually in there.) Then there’s the unlimited utility of the exterior. The back features two external straps for a skateboard, yoga mat or ground pad. The exterior also has a loop for your keys, helmet, etc., a water bottle sleeve and external media pocket. The 35 L version additionally features a zippered shoe compartment to keep such things away from your cleaner clothes, and a side-entry laptop sleeve. And REPREVE is water resistant.
The other pack option is the Ransack, something of a little brother. It shares many of the features of the Hauler, just a lighter style day/campus pack, but still holding its own and everything you have to carry in 24 L. Plus, it’s a damn good price considering the innovation of REPREVE ($65).
For a longer road trip, either pack pairs well with the Escape Duffel in 45 L ($110) and 60 L ($120), which, by the by, can be carried on your back with easy stash-and-go straps. Like the Hauler, it has a pair of bottom-facing exterior straps and can be cinched where needed. Consider this the gym bag for the guy who gets his fitness anywhere by the gym.
Possibly the most unique piece in the line is the Bandit Chest Bag ($35). If you aren’t aware of a chest bag, imagine a fanny pack, but far, far less lame, that goes across your chest.
courtesy Nixon
We know fanny packs became ironically cool 10 years ago, but they still seem like they’d be for the type of people who check into a flight in their pajamas. The Bandit is a tri-strap design that wears more like a messenger bag, but far smaller, for when you don’t want to be carrying a bag on foot or skateboard. It has interior and exterior pockets, ideal for a music festival or a day on your local slopes, capable of holding a few essentials: phone, charger, speaker, wallet, passport, small tools or a GoPro.
The line is rounded out by a Stash Bag, which is a more traditional carrier, more like a camera bag ($30); the Side Kick Hip Pack ($25), even though I just dissed fanny packs; the larger “throw-and-go” shoulder style Heist Bag ($65); and the Wizard Stick Beverage Sling ($25), which is sure to be the life of the party, keeping six bevvies cold as you head to the swimming hole or the fireworks.
A duffel bag isn’t going to change human consumption; not even a whole line of bags. But when innovative brands like Nixon and their influencers make commitments to true sustainability, entire industries take notice.
It’s something to think about on that long flight…when we’re allowed into Europe again.
“Finding perfect waves with just a friend is one of the best feelings a surfer can experience,” says Byron Bay’s Torren Martyn at the outset of his new surf feature, “Lost Track New Zealand.” The lengths to which Martyn and his friend, filmmaking partner Ishka Folkwell, are willing to go to dial in that seemingly-simple-yet-increasingly-rare brand of surf-experience is something to behold.
We’ve already seen the pair–Martyn’s lengthy twin-fins always in-tow–snowshoe through Iceland. We’ve also watched as they shirk all other responsibilities to post up in J-Bay, Mainland Mex, Scotland and other locales for months at a time.
In this go ‘round, Martyn and Folkwell have cooked up a road drama, of sorts–a kind of surfy “Easy Rider” through New Zealand–enduring grueling travel, fickle conditions, harsh weather and an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting, all in service of some tasty waves and a cool buzz… err… wanderlust.
Luckily for us, Folkwell provides an aesthetically pleasing view of the roads, as well as the payoff. Featuring verdant waves and Martyn’s singular style, the hour-long “Lost Track New Zealand” is the feature-length surf film we all need right now–one in which we can behold an epic journey, as we hoard toilet paper and devour to-go food from the comfort of our pandemic bunkers. And what a beautiful thing to behold.
These days the quantity and capabilities of apps available for mobile devices are quite impressive—let alone how powerful smartphones have become. In my case my phone is better than my computer… but I digress. Ironically, some of these apps that focus on outdoor travel, recreation, and exploration provide technology that allows you to disconnect from this media-centric society.
And while there is nothing more annoying than pulling your phone out while in the woods, or on a chairlift for that matter, below are a few handy apps that skiers can utilize in the offseason, some of which are equally worthwhile in the winter. Each of them will help you venture farther off the beaten path, or drool over mountain ranges and ski lines until snow flies again.
“Stay in your lane”
“You are too old”
“That’s a stupid idea”
“That’s ridiculous”
“You can’t afford that”
“No one would say yes to that”
“I would never do that”
“You better have a plan B”
“That is too risky”
“No one wants to hear that from you”
I’ve heard them all … and the more I share and grow, the more risk I take, the more I step into a bigger life, the more I hear it…
But… hold up! OTHERS OPINIONS ARE NONE OF OUR BUSINESS
Others “opinions” used to run me….
Asking for approval.
Seeking approval..
Caring (way too much) what others thought.
That becomes a problem when it gets between you and your goals and vision. I’ve experience this a LOT lately as I’ve shared about my new focus and business plan.
So how do you fix this? Here is what I do…
I ask myself … “Natalie, whose life are living?” and “who are you living for?”
Whenever I do that it puts back in check and reminds me that others opinions are none of my business. You see others opinions do not pay our bills.
Others opinions don’t get us healthy. Others opinions don’t keep us warm at night. Others opinions are merely a reflection of their OWN experiences, beliefs and missed goals. Others opinions don’t get us to our goals. All that others opinions do for us is distract us from our vision, our goals, our hopes and dreams. Their opinions don’t “protect us” and they certainly don’t help us.
Anything is possible for you at ALL TIMES so do not muddy that belief with someone’s “opinion.” Be careful who you seek guidance from. Ask yourself… Does this person giving me their opinion represent success or where you want to be?? This question is everything!
What would you create if others opinions of you did not matter? Others opinions of you are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
XO,
Natalie Jill
PS If you are the type of person who is a coach but not making the impact you know you are capable of, apply for my my DVA sales methodology program HERE
Picture this: You’ve spent countless hours climbing indoors getting your skills as sharp as you can. Now, you’re ready to take it to the next level—to finally climb outside—but you don’t know where to start.
There is a steep learning curve to go from indoor to outdoor climbing, but the incredible views make it oh-so worth it.
However, there are basics that every climber needs to know when visiting the crags, such as being conscious of the area, knowing where to stand or sit, spotting a climber, communicating, and knowing how to get down.
Juliana Petters tests her flexibility on a steep sport climb. Photo: Chris Van Leuven
Being Crag Conscious
Even before heading out, the first thing to do is become familiar with the area and routes so pick up a guidebook at your local shop or visit Mountain Project for beta. This way you know if the area has restrictions or other seasonal closures, which trails are needed to follow, and what’s available in your grade range.
Once there, you’ll also want to be aware of your surroundings—noting any nearby drop-offs—and learning where to stand to safely be clear of any climbers overhead. And before you head up your first route, take note of where the route goes and remember crucial sequences by watching those who did it first.
Since crags often have to be shared with other parties, spread out from other teams and keep chatter to a minimum so as not to infringe on others’ experiences—this isn’t the gym where everyone has to pack together. And whatever you do, don’t throw your gear over other peoples’ stuff.
Unlike the gym’s cushy floors, landings outside are hard and unforgiving even from just a few feet off the ground, making proper spotting crucial. When bouldering, it’s important to level out the ground using strategically placed crash pads and then to actively spot the climber (using your hands like a spotter does when someone is lifting weights) to protect their head and torso from taking the brunt of a fall. This goes for sport climbing too, where spotting protects the lead climber as they advance from the ground to reach the first bolt.
Clear Communication Is Key
Climbing commands sound similar, and certain words have opposite meanings, such as “off” can be short for “off belay” or it can mean “falling off”—which means keep a tight hand on the rope and prepare to catch a fall. To avoid confusion before a climber leaves the ground, come up with a game plan so everyone is aware of what to expect. This involves discussing the length of the route, noting anything unique about it—such as if there’s a traverse or notable runouts between protection—and what the plan is once the anchor is reached.
When it comes to crowded crags where there are competing teams for air space, adding the climber’s (or belayer’s) name when shouting commands helps to clarify who is speaking.
An unnamed climber battles it out on the steeps in Tonsai, Thailand. Photo: Chris Van Leuven
Having an Escape Plan
Once at the top of a climb, whether it’s a one-pitch sport route or a multi-pitch outing, it’s typical to be filled with a feeling of euphoria. Up there everything is amplified: the views are better, the air is crisper, and surrounding scents are stronger. But getting to the top is often only half way (meaning that the climber either has to come back down the way they came up, or walk off).
Either way, your gear has to come back with you. Many climbers carry a P.A.S. sling with them, which stands for Personal Anchor System. This allows the climber to clip in directly and remove their personal gear from bolts in the wall before lowering or rappelling.
Getting down isn’t always easy—ropes can get stuck, for example—which is why it’s important to have an escape plan and be familiar with the basic tools climbers use to get up and down a route, including prussiks, a rappel/belay device, slings, and free locking and non-locking carabiners.
Now at the anchor, a team prepares to go down in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo: Chris Van Leuven
Because the gym climbing experience is so different than outdoor climbing, it’s certainly not for everyone. But those who are willing to take the step outside will be rewarded with views usually reserved for birds high in the sky and vivid memories that stick around forever.
In June 2019, Taylor Demonbreun set a Guinness World Record by being the youngest person, at age 24, to visit every country in the world. But her record wouldn’t last long, because late last year, 21-year-old Lexie Alford officially stole the title. The young swashbucklers documented their crusades online, demonstrating how easy it was to travel before COVID-19. What was once an unimaginable lifetime journey could be accomplished in about 18 months. That’s how long it took Demonbreun, anyway. She still holds the speed record.
In the Before Times, many of us would have reacted to their accomplishments by packing a weekend bag. But the near-global halt to international travel dictated by COVID-19 created a (long) moment of forced reflection and called into question what Alford’s and Demonbreun’s accomplishments say about our evolving relationship with travel. Some of us, myself included, have grown gluttonous. As sea levels rise, we’re increasingly devouring the world like a fun-size bag of Cheetos. Alford and Demonbreun aren’t the only ones grinning with orange-stained fingers held up to the camera. To some extent, we’re all guilty.
As an old millennial, I vaguely recall the revolt that turned my peers and me against the Humvees and McMansions that marked status for our parents’ generation. We understood that happiness was to be earned through experiences, not possessions. We didn’t care about keeping up with the Joneses—or we didn’t think we did, anyway. So, we studied abroad, backpacked through Europe, and nursed our souls with adventure.
But ultimately, it seems we bucked one set of Joneses for another. Our lives shifted online, and experiences began to look a lot like possession. Travel became its own status-seeking behavior.
Did 21-year-old Alford “experience” the world’s 195 countries, or did she “collect” them, like objects?
Until the 1950s, more people traveled by train than plane. Vacation was a time-consuming ordeal. But now we’ll airdrop in for a weekend in Berlin or 36 hours in Singapore. We do it for the ’Gram. We do it to say we did it. Between 1998 and 2008, global air travel increased threefold.
All of this might be excusable if not for the damage we’re inflicting on our planet. COVID-19 showed us exactly how quickly air quality reacts to changes in behavior (especially when it comes to travel). Before-and-after pandemic photos from London, Moscow, and Los Angeles show smoggy gray skylines washed clean, like someone restoring old film. In Punjab, India, the Himalayas became visible for the first time in decades.
In May, a group of environmental scientists reported that global carbon emissions were estimated to be down 17 percent. It’s the biggest drop in recorded history.
Defenders of air travel will point out that planes account for just 2.8 percent of global carbon emissions, but that number’s misleading. Unlike ground transportation or factory work, aviation is a service available only to the wealthiest. According to industry estimates, 80 to 90 percent of people have never flown. But the world’s expanding middle class, along with new cultural norms around travel, will change that. International air traffic is expected to increase 330 percent by 2045, according to a report from the United Nations.
“Aviation has been growing tremendously fast,” says Susanne Becken, Ph.D., a professor of sustainable tour- ism at Australia’s Griffith University. “And it’s been eating up the carbon budget for countries that are reducing emissions.”
I cringe to think of my own carbon footprint. I rarely eat beef and choose bicycle over car whenever possible, yet I give little thought to my decision to board a plane. Over the past few years, I’ve flown to Sweden, Kenya, and the southern tip of South America. A single round-trip flight to Australia makes me personally responsible for something like 2.8 tons of carbon, a number that by itself exceeds the 2-ton individual budget humans need to reach by 2050.
Now in the wake of COVID-19, I’m reexamining the distance of my travel. A photo in front of the Eiffel Tower might blow up for me on social media, but if I’m being honest, I don’t have to fly to France (1,550 pounds of carbon) to connect with the world. I can actually hear people speak French in Montreal, which is half a day’s drive from where I live in New York. In a few hours, I can be in Burlington or the Adirondacks, the largest publicly protected natural area in the contiguous U.S. In my own state, I’ve yet to float the Delaware River or pedal the 350-mile Erie Canal bike trail. I’m a day’s drive from the Great Smoky Mountains in one direction and Acadia National Park in another. This country, even my small slice of it, offers a bounty of experience that I’ve been too quick to dismiss as too close to home.
“There’s so much we can explore near us,” says Maja Rosen, an activist who launched a campaign to encourage people to avoid planes for one year. “And the decision to fly is often the single biggest contributor to your personal carbon emissions.”
I’ll admit that it’s hard for me to stifle my envy when I look at an accomplished traveler like Alford, and I’m sure her nearly half-million Instagram followers feel the same. But envy is precisely the kind of negative emotion that travel is supposed to protect me from. Envy is what compels people to buy new cars they can’t afford and Jet Skis they’ll barely use.
In a video posted on YouTube, Alford explained that while she tried to spend as much time as possible at each destination, the rules of Guinness were only concerned with proper entry and exit documentation. That points to how many of us think of travel: a passport stamp, a few social media posts, and bragging rights. It’s hard to imagine that being more fulfilling than a Humvee.
Maybe you’ll fly again this year, or maybe you’ll wait. I’m in no position to judge, and I’m not ready to swear off planes entirely. But I will be dedicating more of my travel days to local rivers and trails. I’ll seek meaningful experiences closer to home, and I’ll sit with the truth I can no longer ignore: However frequent international travel enriches my internal world, it inflicts a bigger cost on the one we share.
This pandemic has been wreaking havoc over everyone’s lives. Especially if you love going to the gym. Gyms being closed has forced people to change up how they stay in shape. Which can work, but it isn’t exactly the same. So it almost feels like a godsend that Gyms are starting to open up in parts of the country.
As great as it is for Gym to be opening up again, there are some things you need to take into account. Not just the health-based measures of being in a public place when the pandemic is still going strong. What you will need to do is not to act like time hasn’t passed by overexerting yourself and causing a serious injury.
Just because you may have been working out from home all this time, that doesn’t mean you can just jump right back into it. The body needs to get used to the workouts at a gym. You need to build up your stamina and all that. Not to mention the pandemic causing such stress to our minds and bodies that need to be overcome.
Getting back to the gym is going to require a different sort of dedication. You will need to know exactly the ways you need to reacquaint yourself to such a rigorous routine. But you don’t need to do so all alone. You can sign up for Noom and get a ton of help in going back to the gym.
Noom is a great fitness app for many reasons. But right now it is great because it will provide you with a wellness coach at all times of the day. Professionals who know what they are doing and will be able to cater a routine for you specifically to get back into the swing of things.
When you sign up for Noom, you need to take a highly personalized test. That way the app can know a ton about you to make up a diet and fitness routine to reach the goals you aiming for. Once that is all said and done, you will get access to these wellness coaches.
When you get started with a wellness coach at Noom, the personalized nature will be a godsend. Knowing your current fitness levels and such, the coach can tell you what to do to ease back in. Working out from home to get ready with the exact exercises to get ready. Shortening the duration of each workout when you’re at the gym initially.
Shutterstock
You’ll want to shorten the duration of your workouts at first because of DOMS. That means Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Which can be a real killer when trying to get back into the workout routine. You won’t be able to work out as well as you need to do the next few days.
With the help of the Noom wellness coaches, you will get help in avoiding DOMS. But if you can’t avoid DOMS, they can help you overcome the pain. Lessen the amount of time you have to deal with DOMS. That way you can keep yourself going. Because it’s all about getting into a routine.
It is going to take a while to get back to the levels you were going at before the pandemic shut everything down. The wellness coaches at Noom will help you wrangle your ambitions. Keep things down to Earth for now. Let you work back to those levels.
As is usual with any workout routine, you need to take care of your diet. And the personalized test when you sign up for Noom will help you figure out what to eat. But the wellness coaches can help you in any even greater and more specific way. Your diet will help you greatly in getting back to it.
Whether you are looking to start at the gym for the first time or are getting back into a pre-pandemic routine, Noom will help you out greatly. The wellness coaches will help keep you healthy and dedicated. The first time back doesn’t have to be the last and Noom will help make sure that it isn’t.
This article was produced under a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.
If you’ve spent much time paddling, you know that safety should always be priority No. 1. When you’re on the water, a few fundamentals apply to every paddler, every time. “Paddling Safety 101,” if you will. The best practices are also the most simple: Wear a personal flotation device (PFD) plus the proper outerwear for the water temperature, never paddle alone or impaired, and always check the weather forecast before you launch. These basic safety pillars ensure that your paddling experience doesn’t end in frustration, injury, or even tragedy.
But are you even aware of them? We are interested in your general attitude and approach to paddling safety. Please complete this confidential questionnaire for a chance to win one of three $100 Amazon gift cards (click here for official rules). Only the first five questions are required for sweepstakes entry. Please consider all types of paddling in which you participate.
Burrata cheese recipe: Chefs use an elaborate process to make authentic burrata cheese but we can make burrata cheese that looks and tastes almost the same as the one you see in restaurants.
The pandemic has changed the way many of us work. At first it was acceptable to cobble together a workspace at the kitchen table or make due at a crowded, mail covered desk. But with many companies continuing the remote policy, now’s the time to invest in a proper desk to get some serious work done. We took a look at the Sean Woolsey WFH Smart Desk in our home office for a couple of weeks. Here’s what you need to know.
Courtesy image
What It Is
From the Sean Woolsey Studios, based in Costa Mesa, CA, with a history of celebrating wood’s natural beauty, the WFH Smart Desk has motorized legs to raise the top of the desk. The standing desk, which can be either black walnut or white oak, locks in at any point between 25 to 50-inches from the floor. The height is metered out by a controller with up and down buttons, with four presets, which makes dialing in the right seated and standing heights simple.
The top is a 30 x 60-inch, .75-inch thick slab of solid wood planks, edge-glued together, finished with rounded edges and protected by an oil-finish that keeps the surface matte. Supporting the top is a black, powder-coated steel frame and a pair of substantial feet. In the rear of the top is a black steel pass-through for wires, which keeps the look tidy. Embedded in the top from underneath is a 10-watt Anker Qi wireless charger that works through the top, charging your smartphone. Helpful lines cut into the top of the desk give you a landing zone for your phone so you’re not hunting around the desk waiting for the device to ping you when you hit paydirt.
Under the top is where all the magic happens. The electric motors and wireless charger plug into a power strip mounted below the desktop. Once you plug the desk and charger into the strip, you have one USB and five outlets. It’s kept neat with zip ties and the desk comes with extra peel-and-stick ties to keep the cords underneath as clean as the desk’s top.
We opted to include the matching monitor stand ($250) that adds some utility if you work with an external screen. The 46 x 9-inch stand raises the screen 4 inches with a matching black steel plate running through it. That plate creates a shelf, with about 1.75-inches of space above and below it, to slide in a keyboard, note pad, stapler, etc. which would otherwise clutter up the desk. It’s also the perfect spot to tuck away the desk’s included desk organizer: a 11×8.5-inch wood tray with spots for six pens, a pocket for Post-it notes, and two other cubbies for things like change, paperclips, or your phone.
The motors lifting the desk can support about 90 pounds on the tabletop. And the desk hauls: going from minimum max height takes about 19.5 seconds. At about 57 decibels, it’s quiet, too—it’s about as loud as a refrigerator’s hum.
Courtesy image
Why We Like It
Using a standing desk at home is a lot easier than in an office where—without question—some colleagues are giving you the side-eye. With four presets you could have the desk dialed in for two people, each with their personal sit and stand preferences. And the size is generous, especially if you work from a laptop. The build is rock solid and the motors that raise and lower are smooth and quiet.
Other home desks tend to be small, cramped, but this model leaves plenty of room for a full-size keyboard, mouse, a writing pad, and even a laptop or tablet off to the side while your necessary gear all within reach. If you’re prone to making a mess of a wide-open space, this desk comes in a version with three drawers that makes hiding the day’s mess easier (from: $3,000).
Instead of ignoring our Apple Watch’s call to get up, we’ve been standing more with this desk and the generous max height, which brings the top to about 50-inches high, leaves plenty of room if you opt for a treadmill under the desk or a balance board. The monitor stand was surprisingly helpful at keeping the space tidy at the end of the day. We like the attention to detail, like the packet or rubber bumpers that come with the desk to help protect the surface from getting scratched by the monitor stand or the organization tray (though we also added some peel-n-stick felt pads for easy sliding).
The look is clean and minimalist. Unlike other standing rigs that might require fussing with a handle to pop up and down, taking a seat from a standing position takes one button and a few seconds.
Nitpick
The embedded wireless charger might not work if you have a phone case that’s 0.5cm thick or more, which we had. So, if you plan on using the charger you’ll have to pop your phone out of the case. You can unplug the stock charger and plug in your own desktop version. The desk’s controller is housed in a handsome 8×3.5-inch block of wood that matches the top. Plugged into the motors underneath the desk, the block has magnets embedded in it that are intended to grab onto the metal frame so you can keep it out of the way. Unfortunately, they’re not powerful enough to hold securely so plan to stash the controller off to the side on the top to keep it within easy reach.
Dropped: 13 Days Before Navy SEAL Graduation – The Lessons That Took Two Decades To Get With Brooks Hollan
This week no Leveling Up, Natalie Jill sits down with her favorite person, who husband, Brooks Hollan.
Brooks Hollan is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, an entrepreneur, and high performance coach. Through his business, Service2Purpose (www.service2purpose.com), he works with high achievers that deep down still feel not-good-enough and unworthy, as well as helping leaders, entrepreneurs and executives experience joy, fulfillment, and freedom through living their purpose and not just ‘doing more.’
Brooks is also an author, having published The Lean Life (2014) which became an Amazon #1 best seller. In addition to his passion for fitness and working out, Brooks is crazy about cars. In addition to racing SCCA he is passionate about anything Porsche or Formula One related.
In this episode, you will learn:
How to find your true voice
How to authentically step into your purpose
How to serve others
How to overcome insecurities
PS. Like Leveling up? Leave us an honest review (a good one I hope!) and get my FREE DSR Journal delivered to your inbox HERE!
Onam Sadya Recipe: Olan is best enjoyed as a side dish with rice, idli and appam. It also makes a great combination when paired with Moru curry, another important dish in a Sadya platter
Spinach chips recipe: Spinach (or palak) renders a bright green colour, refreshing flavour and its high protein content, all of which simply adds a new dimension to this fried snack.
Chana dal chaat for protein-rich diet: We dug out an amazing recipe of chana dal chaat for you, which brims with proteins, offers great taste and is homemade.
South Indian Breakfast: Rava or sooji, the superfood is used to make a variety of South Indian delicacies and often considered a healthier variety compared to traditional rice batter.
You can make this desi pasta from scratch, that too without maida or eggs. This pasta is made with whole wheat flour or atta, and is thus super healthy too!
Mira Kapoor said her favourite hobby was indeed cooking, and her favourite cusine is Thai. Her favourite Gujarati food is Undhiyo, and she loves Indian food.
Immunity: Spices like turmeric, cumin, ajwain, ginger are a treasure of antioxidants that could help ward off infections, risk of flu and also aide sustainable weight loss.
I moved to Colorado when I was 23 years old. The plan was to work for the ski resort in Telluride and, after the ski season, return back home to Chicago to get a real job after I had figured it out. Well, I either never figured it out or I really did figure it out…whatever it is, because I still live in Colorado and I’ve transformed my ski bummery into an actual career path and a lifestyle rife with the stereotypes of a happy outdoor life. My face and feet are adorned with a near permanent goggle and flip-flop tan. Skis line my walls. I invest in gear not stocks. I drive a Subaru. And I (finally) have a dog.
It’s been a year of wonderful dog companionship with Bodhi (named after Swayze’s character in Point Break, ‘cause duh). And being a dog dad has been the most rewarding and illuminating year of my life. Now, I am sure you parents of human children are rolling your eyes and saying, “It’s nothing like raising a baby!” First, calm down. Second, did you know that when I stare into my puppy’s eyes, the maternal/paternal bonding hormone oxytocin is released in my brain? It’s the same chemical reaction you get when you look at your kiddo. Third, I’d never compare my puppy to your kid…because Bodhi is far more adorable than the rage-faced mini-terrorist throwing a tantrum in the back of your minivan. And I’ve never had to listen to Kidz Bop while trying to answer questions like, “Dad, why is there sky?”
The adorable nature of my Siberian husky has led to many strange moments. I find it perfectly acceptable to hug him and, in a high-pitched cooing baby voice, exclaim, “Oooh, I love you so much I could squeeze you ‘til your head pops off.” I overheard someone say to their pooch, “Your eyeballs are so cute I want to scoop them out with a spoon and eat them.” My reaction was not disgust or astonishment; I thought it would be a good idea to add whipped cream. These are called dimorphous expressions, or cute aggressions; extremely positive experiences and appraisals that produce intense positive reactions while simultaneously producing expressions normally reserved for negative emotions. Yeah, it’s super weird. So weird, in fact, that after conducting a Yale University study about dimorphous expressions, a group of scientists basically said: Yeah, it’s a real thing and we don’t totally understand it, but that husky is so cute we would definitely eat its brain like it was a birthday cake.
Paddy O'Connell
Now, that is not to say I haven’t been so angry at my pupper that actual murder didn’t seem like a viable option. Take for instance, Bodhi’s first campout. High on a secluded and beautiful mountain pass, we found a serene campsite amongst decades-old aspens. We prepared dinner as the aqua-blue sky melted into the tangerine preserves of the setting sun. But where was Bodhi amongst all this beauty? Bodhi was preoccupied in a thicket of fallen tree limbs, chomping on the excrement of some unknown and terribly ignorant previous camper. Yes, that’s right. He was eating man turds, actual real-life human shit. Apparently, some Brad had decided to deuce on top of the ground rather than in a cat hole, and strewn his used toilet paper on branches as if it were party streamers at the world’s worst effin’ party. The buntings of used TP by the way, yeah, they were sunny-side up. Less than two hours into Bodhi’s first camping adventure, I donned leather gloves and a handful of napkins I thankfully had in my car to clean the booty Play-Doh from his molars. It was decidedly not a dimorphous moment.
But, hours later, I was cuddled up with him in a tent, albeit after some intense DIY tooth brushing. Why? Because even with doodoo breath he’s the best. And to show him that, along with the endless boops on his nose, scratches behind his ears, and outdoor adventures we share, I will literally empty my piggy bank for him to an absurd degree. I have a chew toy graveyard, which consists of the remnants and remains, the plush limbs and innards, of about a dozen former chomp knickknacks. But I still buy them whenever I see one that looks cute even though Bodhi’s favorite playthings are a couple of old tree stumps in my backyard.
After using an old bed sheet to act as a couch cover, I upgraded to an Orvis quilted throw blanket with a grip tight backing because it’s toughness seemed to match Bodhi’s machismo. And, though I used to sleep on it, that bed sheet just didn’t seem quite comfy enough for him; him who I’ve seen take naps on rocks and in dirt. And the upgrading continued. I figured the $20 Amazon-whatever-brand car seat cover had lived out its worth; the Orvis Windowed Hammock Seat Protector caught my eye. I’m pretty sure it is made out of 100 percent angel feathers because it’s the softest, snuggliest thing I’ve ever touched…that is, aside from Bodhi’s ears. The point is, there is no end to the spoiling. Bodhi gets new gear and new toys because I can’t stop asking myself, “oooh, would the pup dig this?” in the same cooing voice I headlock hug him with.
But what’s been most amazing about one year of pupper fatherhood has been the immeasurable expansion of my capacity to love. And that love shows up in a myriad of ways. I have more photos of him sleeping than an IG influencer has bathroom selfies. I talk about him more than a guy in a tank top talks about CrossFit. Every single day, at least one time a day, he will do something that will make me belly laugh. I am constantly wondering if I am giving him enough: time outside, training balanced with playtime, boundaries and freedom, et al. I’ve reorganized my work and play schedule around him, reevaluate what a ski day or bike adventure or run looks like because I want to get back to him. Bodhi’s helped me curb selfishness and reactive emotion while amplifying my joy. He’s redefined what love is. Sometimes that love shows up as a paw on my shoulder, a snout laid upon my lap. And sometimes it shows up as my arm shoved in his mouth, up to my elbow in human tuckus spackle.
But anyway you cut it, it’s all love. Woof woof, pals.
Brendan Fairclough and company celebrate the return of loam season in the United Kingdom the only way you can–by fluffing some fresh and flying down the hill.
“The rain came down so the spades came out. Tuning up some old gems. I mean we only built for an hour and we had some of the best times. You can’t beat the UK loam scene. Back on the mountain bike and loving it. Lockdown kinda over but travel is still uncertain so it’s such a good time to utilize what you have at home. Rebuild and make sick again. Get out in the woods and give some of your local trails some love. Whether it’s the local dirt jumps, enduro trails or downhill tracks. Get ya tools and and give them some love. Olly also showed up with the top secret bike that we can’t show you but we can tell you that it’s fast (maybe faster than me). Na joking but…” – Brendan Fairclough
This article originally appeared on Bikemag.com and was republished with permission.
There’s something about a global pandemic and lengthy at-home lockdown that seems to intensify the need for an after-work cocktail. In April, I considered a bottle of Cazadores blanco a pantry staple. Cracking ice into a rocks glass with a shot of tequila, soda water, and a squeeze of lime or two was the occasional, after-work break I needed from hitting refresh on the The New York Times website over and over again. But for a few weeks, the drink tasted like nothing. A cold collection of bubbles that was relaxing in its effervescence but wholly devoid of flavor. The smell was empty, too. I came down with COVID-19 in early March. I was lucky to have a mild case that put me out of commission for a few weeks but needed no hospitalization. The strangest symptom for me was the complete loss of smell, something called anosmia (and later, parosmia). At the time, smell loss was newly linked to COVID; now, it’s a more reliable predictor of infection than a PCR test. It happened very suddenly.
One morning, I could smell; that evening, I could not. I was sitting in bed, drinking ginger lemon tea and hitting refresh repeatedly on the news. A story popped up about anosmia in European novel coronavirus cases and, suddenly, I realized the tea I was drinking was nothing more than scentless, tasteless, warm water. My nose was clear, but my brain registered nothing. I leaned over to my boyfriend, who had been embracing his new work-from-home setup and had gotten more lax on showering. Nothing.
My inability to smell lingered long after I recovered from the other symptoms of the virus. The air inside my home had no comforting, discerning scents. No fragrances of morning coffee, fresh laundry, or anything at all. It made cooking challenging (how spicy could it be, really?), but cleaning out my cat’s litter box was a breeze. I immediately became aware of something that had never crossed my mind before: My ability to smell my surroundings was far from guaranteed. Initially, I worried daily that maybe my sense to smell was gone forever. I felt weirdly alone without it—separated from a perception of my environment I’d always taken for granted. Thankfully, by the end of April, I started to taste the tartness of lime in my tequila sodas again, soon followed by the subtle presence of agave.
Bit by bit, it came slowly back. By early May, I could smell most things around me, though not as intensely as before. Eating was enjoyable again. I wasn’t permanently changed, but my anosmia had gotten markedly better. But then, during the third week of May, I took one sip of a freshly made drink and forcibly spit it out onto the counter before I could make it to the sink. Tequila. Soda water. Lime. But what I tasted was a forgotten pile of vegetables left way too long in the fridge— like rotten zucchini had been muddled into the beverage. A putrid, ripe smell emanating from the glass caught my nose and I gagged, dumping the tequila down the sink.
Suddenly, many previously normal smells—in particular, smells I loved—were rancid. A geranium-scented hand soap in the kitchen smelled like rotten squash. Taking a shower was an exercise in sensory futility between fragrant shampoos and facewash. I had to hold my breath in order not to gag walking through the produce section of the grocery store. Most fruits—from strawberries to pineapple, oranges to bananas—were completely inedible as they tasted as terrible as they smelled. I had to stop eating cucumbers, tortilla chips, eggs, and olives—among many other things. One of the most crushing blows: when pizza tasted so awful I had to hold my breath to get down a single bite.
This sounds ridiculous, I know. The idea that a piece of pepperoni pizza could taste rotten when it’s most definitely not, sounds crazy. It sounds made up. And it sounds like something that shouldn’t be a big deal because it’s not life-threating. I was otherwise okay; everything around me just made me gag. It wasn’t until I discovered AbScent, a UK-based non-profit dedicated to promoting awareness of smell disorders and offering support for sufferers, that I even learned what was happening to me. Experts refer to the distortion of smell as parosmia. Chrissi Kelly, who grew up in Maine but has lived in England for the past three decades, founded AbScent after her own experience with anosmia that began in 2012. “It’s very, very difficult to get people to understand just how awful it is to lose your sense of smell,” she told me. “It’s a very isolating experience. [Friends and family] think to themselves, ‘Well, I can plug my nose and I can see what that’s like and I just don’t get it. What’s the big deal?’ And the fact of the matter is that people who lose limbs, people who lose their eyesight, people who lose their hearing recover their well-being eventually, within about two years. People who lose their sense of smell tend to deteriorate over time.”
How COVID-19 Can Affect Your Sense of Smell
There are two ways viral infections can cause smell loss. The first is through mucus blockage—i.e. a stuffed-up nose—that prevents odors from reaching receptors in the upper part of the nasal passage. The second, which is generally more rare, is when the olfactory neuroepithelium—the tissue that lines the nose and contains the nerves that communicate scent to the brain—is damaged by the virus. “Basically, if the nerves are damaged, that can lead to a more profound loss of sense of smell,” explains Dr. Evan R. Reiter, professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University. While the research on smell loss and COVID-19 is of course, still evolving, studies have found that smell loss affects anywhere from 50-80 percent of individuals who contract the virus. That is not an insignificant amount. A recent study in Europe reinforced the distinctiveness of loss of smell and taste caused by SARS-CoV-2, sharing that while many people seem to recover quickly, there is reason to believe that problems with olfactory functioning will persist for some, long after they’ve otherwise recovered from the virus.
What Living With Anosmia and Parosmia Is Really Like
While far from a medical niche, smell and taste disorders exist outside of the general purview partly because of a lack of familiarity and partly because they just don’t seem as serious as issues with the other senses. This can make it confusing for those experiencing it, as well, gauging how to react or when to see a doctor. But, a lack of smell presents a set of real, life-affecting problems. Some scents alert us to possible danger: smoke from a fire, sulfur from a gas leak, even the smell of something burning on the stove. But even more, scent provides a way to connect with those around us. It provides comfort, familiarity and often nostalgia; it helps us to understand and interact with our environment in ways we really never consider until they disappear.
If anosmia is already an unfamiliar condition, then parosmia is even more so. With parosmia, the distortion usually happens with smells that are familiar. Generally pleasant scents are replaced with aggressively foul odors, like rotten vegetables or cigarette smoke. Parosmia renders food inedible and makes simple chores, like washing dishes, very challenging. How does it work? “In general, there are thousands of different receptors, all coded by different genes for olfactory neurons,” explains Dr. Reiter. “Most odors are relatively complex; they stimulate a whole bunch of different types of sensors. Your brain gets input from all these different receptors, then puts all that together to determine, this is a rose, this is my husband, this is dog poop. With parosmia, when there’s damage from any source, potentially all of the neurons and sensors are not affected the same, so instead of getting the signals from all of these different receptors, which the brain is used to, it’s maybe only getting signals from 25 or 50 percent—and when it puts that together, it changes the nature of what you’re smelling.”
What this means is that I dread brushing my teeth because the toothpaste tastes like it’s spoiled. A squeeze of lime in a cocktail—previously a nice way to wind down after work—is enough reason to pour my drink down the drain. For me, five months out from having COVID-19, parosmia affects every aspect of my daily life in a savagely smelly way.
How COVID-19 Could Help Experts Raise Awareness Around Olfactory Disorders
The nature of COVID-19 offers a unique opportunity to learn more about smell disorders in ways that can help people in the future. In early April, Dr. Reiter, who is also the medical director of the VCU Smell and Taste Clinic, launched a study with his team to understand more about the loss of these senses. “More often than not, when people experience changes in their sense of smell due to a virus, they will come in months or even years after their viral infection, simply because it hasn’t gotten better and they’re curious about that. You can also reason there are probably a lot of people who don’t seek medical attention or get tested.” This has made it challenging to research olfactory disorders, and in this way, COVID-19 presents opportunity. “Here we are with a highly publicized pandemic and the lay community is very aware that loss of sense of smell can be a hallmark symptom, so we’ve got all these people who are going through it together. We took the opportunity to try and study the natural history because that really hasn’t been possible [previously] with the way patients present so sporadically and so after-the-fact.”
This is hopeful. And in the meantime, the ranks of AbScent members continue to swell. In March, Kelly launched a COVID-specific parosmia support group on Facebook. Currently, there are more than 5,000 members who all describe similar experiences: coffee tastes terrible; gin seems to be the only liquor that isn’t wretched; rotten, smokey, and chemical smells and tastes abound. Everyone feels alienated because their experience is so unrelatable and sounds so ridiculous to their friends and family. Everyone finds solace in the experiences of other group members. Not one person has reported that the parosmia has ended and their sense of smell is completely back to normal. But it’s still early. The longest stretches of anosmia and parosmia date back to March; smell disorders can resolve—but it often takes months or years. And with every post shared in the group and every bit of information gathered by AbScent and shared with researchers (with permission, of course), the future of helping those suffering from smell disorders gets brighter. In a group that thrives on shared experience, this is definitely meaningful.
The best hope currently, as COVID-related anosmics and parosmics patiently wait for more scientific findings to emerge, is something called smell training, which is essentially physical therapy for the neural pathways between brain and nose. “The olfactory neurons are somewhat unique in the nervous system, in that they have the capacity to regenerate,” says Dr. Reiter. “What can happen in some cases is as the neurons regenerate, the wiring may get crossed, if you will, and people get a distortion.” Smell training is the repeated exercising of these neural pathways to help them recover properly, whether someone has no smell, or one that seems to be misfiring. It is the only research-backed technique that’s shown symptomatic improvement for smell disorders.
And it’s a process. “We have to think about this olfactory nerve as an injury rather than a disease that can be cured,” says Kelly. “If you got into a car accident and you looked at yourself in the mirror and saw that you were covered in scars, you wouldn’t say, when are my scars going to go away.”
There are success stories within the olfactory community. Chrissi, herself, is one. And her experiences resonate within the ranks of AbScent members suffering from anosmia and parosmia. I smell train every day. I take out a collection of small glass jars that contain different essential oils in various scent categories: orange and lemon for fruit, rose for floral, eucalyptus for resin, and clove for spice. For about 10 seconds each, I smell them individually. I focus on how they smell, how they’re supposed to smell, and I imagine being able to eat anything I want in the future, with no fear of an unexpected, rotten flavor. A few days ago, as I was brushing my teeth before bed, the toothpaste tasted utterly, completely normal. It’s been five months since I originally lost my sense of smell, and every small win makes me more hopeful.
“Stay in your lane”
Brooks Hollan.
